


let me be your rhythm (tonight)

by ffairyy



Category: bangtan girls - Fandom, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - All Female, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Angst, F/F, Fluff, Rule 63, Smut, dance teacher hosook, jungha is a cutie, not a poly fic btw don't let the description fool u, side namjin, tae is a whole cutie with a crush on jimin, trans Namjoo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-07 11:07:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14079540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ffairyy/pseuds/ffairyy
Summary: When Jimin's dance teacher moves in down the hall of their apartment block, Jungha understands why Jimin has the hots for her.She really gets it.orthe one where jimin and jungha both have a crush on Hosook but they're probably both too young for her





	1. ONE

**Author's Note:**

> I've written a good amount of this fic, so I thought why not post it while my other WIP is still going!?  
> it's probably gonna be around 4-5 chapters, maybe less!? who knows... not me!!
> 
>  **Warning:** there's an age difference of 9 years between Jungha and Hosook, but they're all adults.

Sometimes you don’t see a big change coming even when it washes into your life like a hurricane.

When Jimin bursts into the room on a Tuesday afternoon, Jungha doesn’t think much of it.  
It’s just how she is, making a drama out of everything and getting everyone excited over nothing, just because she loves the show.  
Jungha barely looks up from her laptop where it’s propped onto her lap and Taehee keeps tapping away at her phone like she always does.

“Guys, at least pretend that you care,” Jimin whines, standing between TV and couch, hands in her waist, disappointment in her voice.

“What happened?” Taehee asks but still doesn’t look up. Jungha feels bad for Jimin so she looks at her, smiles and raises an eyebrow.

“Did you see a baby again?”

“No, it’s so much bigger than that!”

“An adult?” Tae grins and Jungha gives her a high five.

“No! Listen to me,” Jimin ignores them. “You know the apartment down the floor, where Ms Kim lived. I just saw someone new moving in!”

“Yeah, that’s what happens when people move out.”

“Well, she didn’t exactly move out, did she?” Jungha chimes in.

“Yeah, right, may she rest in peace.”

“You hated her!”

“Yes, cause she was homophobic?!”

“Guys,” Jimin says with a loud voice, her patience wearing thin, “Can you please just listen to me for a fucking second?”

“Sure, sorry, go on.” Tae wiggles her hand in Jimin’s direction.

“My dance teacher moved in!” she proclaims with big eyes and hands in the air, waiting for reactions.

“The hot one?” Taehee asks.

“Yes, the one I told you about,” she says. “The one who made me stay twenty minutes longer the other day.”

“Oh, that one,” Jungha says and puts on her best empathic face.

“Shit, man, sorry,” Tae nods and doesn’t mean it either.

“You don’t get it,” Jimin laments. “I can’t ever leave this apartment again! What if I see her taking out her trash… what if she-” Jimin gasps, “-becomes human?”

“I don’t get you. Do you actually hate her or do you have some weird twisted crush on her?” Tae asks. “Because some days you say you wanna burn her studio down, and other days you go on for hours about how hot she looks in her training bra. What’s actually going on?”

Jimin makes an uncommitted sound of pain in the back of her throat and gives up a little, plops down on the couch between the two of them and grumbles.

“She’s a better dancer than I’ll ever be, so that makes me mad. She’s fucking strict and commands me around, so that makes me mad,” Jimin pauses. “But she’s also kind of the first person who cared enough about me to make me work harder. And the other day I walked into the dressing room when she was half naked and she’s got these really nice thighs…”

“Don’t get this the wrong way, Jimin,” Jungha says carefully. “But you’re literally the only person I know who’d make a problem out of this.”

“Yeah,” Taehee agrees. “You’re into her and you’re into it when people order you around. Just… make a move on her?”

“She’s literally 29,” Jimin whines. “I’m not making a move on someone six years older than me. I haven’t got that much game.”  
“You know what I think?” Taehee sighs. “I think you need to find someone to fool around with. Some quick fuck. This isn’t about that dance teacher, it’s cause you haven’t been laid in ages.”

Jimin makes a whiney noise and sinks deeper into the couch cushions. When Jungha looks over, Jimin’s cheeks are a rosy color and she’s squeezing her eyes shut in shame.  
She’s got the urge to leave the two of them alone somehow. There’s this annoying tension between them and it gets worse whenever Tae starts teasing Jimin.

They fooled around once and blamed it on the alcohol, but if you’d ask Jungha, it’s a miracle they haven’t done it again.  
But nobody ever asks Jungha. So she lets them bicker and tease each other and goes back to watching cat videos on her laptop.

-

  
The only possible downside to working in an animal shelter is saying goodbye to the ones that get adopted or those who die, or not being able to spend enough time with every single one of them.

Jungha only helps out there, spends her first year after school more or less relaxing and picking up small part time jobs.  
Things to kill time before she’s old enough to get into that art project in uni that she so desperately wants.  
This one is an actual dream job on most days, makes her feel good about the world and even though she has to socialize, it’s rarely with other human beings, so that’s a bonus.

Today, she hates her job more than every other though.  
When a pet gets adopted, it’s normally the mixture of sadness, hope and relief.  
When a pet gets put to sleep in the small shelter, after enduring a painful illness for too long, it’s none of that.

It hurts and Jungha is in a horrendous mood when she gets home, doesn’t want to talk to anybody and only resists the urge to lie down in her bed for the rest of the day, because Taehee volunteers to watch a Ghibli movie with her.

Pomporo is the right amount of crazy and hilarious and adorable to make a weight lift off her chest and soon enough she’s smiling again.

“Feel better?” Tae asks halfway through the movie.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Good, cause I need to tell you something and I’m not sure you’ll love me for it…”  
Jungha knows this expression, the one where Taehee’s eyebrows are slightly raised, her eyes looking bigger than usually, her mouth pulled into a cute pout.

“What did you do?”

“I kinda invited Ms. Jung over for dinner,” she mumbles way too quickly. “Said it’s a welcoming dinner.”

“A welcoming dinner?” Jungha echoes and her head lolls back into the headrest of the couch. “Who the fuck does welcoming dinners in a apartment block like this? Isn’t that for rich people with houses they own?”

“I know, but I wanna know what the big deal’s about,” Tae pouts. “Maybe push Jimin to do something about her frustrations.”

“You want her to get rejected,” Jungha realizes out loud. “So you can live happily ever after with her?”

“You make it sound more egoistic than I had in mind, but yeah. This woman is nine years older than her. Jimin should go get her rejection so it’s over with. That’s how crushes like this work.”

“When?”

“What?”

“When’s the dinner? Have you told her yet?”

“Tomorrow evening,” says Taehee. “I planned to make it a surprise.”

Jungha actually face-palms at that. Rolls her eyes too, just for good measure.

“No more surprises in this apartment,” she says. “You know she doesn’t deal well with surprises. Or the food you cook while we’re at it.”

“Yeah, about that,” Tae takes a deep breath and Jungha already fears for the worst.

“I need you to cook something real nice and grown up for us,” she smiles carefully. “I’ll do the grocery shopping with Jimin?”

“Tae, I swear to god,“ Jungha says. “You already owe me like three favours, why would I cook for you guys? You know I hate when there’s people over.”

“Because you love me?” Tae tries and she uses that sweet voice of hers and Jungha hates how weak she is to it. Her frustration melts a little.

“Fine,” she says. “But you two clean up. And I get the control over the TV for at least a week.”  
  
“You’re the strongest, kindest, most beautiful woman I know,” Taehee bows a little and Jungha pushes her away when she tries to hug her, but she honestly doesn’t hate the praise.  
“The heavens must miss an angel, but I’m not giving you back.”  
  
-  
  
Jungha swears she’s not trying to impress anyone with the dinner she’s preparing.  
It’s not the first time she makes filled chicken and it’s not the first time people look at her like she’s some kind of magician. At least Tae looks at her like that while it’s in the oven, simmering in a sauce that smells like heaven.

“Holy fuck,” Tae says with the gentlest voice possible. Jungha just smiles at her work.

Jimin isn’t looking at the chicken. She’s not even in the kitchen. She’s probably walking up and down the small hallway for the nth time, stopping by the big mirror above the dresser every now and then to make slight changes to her hair.

Tae gives Jungha a look and there’s annoyance in it and infinite fondness. Then she walks out to her and Jungha doesn’t eavesdrop, she’s just listening, coincidentally.

“Jiminnie, you look gorgeous,” Tae murmurs. “Your makeup is on point and so is your hair.”

“What about my shirt? Is it too much?”

“It’s sexy,” Tae gets the words out, her voice higher than usually, struggling.  
  
Jungha nearly laughs out loud.  
She joins them in the hallway and Jimin looks beautiful indeed.  
Her shoulder long, black hair is held back by a single hair clip and she’s wearing black ripped jeans and a white crop-top, exposing her soft belly.  
There’s panic in her face and Tae rubs her shoulders gently, calming her down with a voice so different than the one she uses with Jungha.

Jungha tears her eyes away and looks into the hallway mirror herself.  
Compared to Jimin, she looks underwhelming. Underdressed nearly, if this wasn’t her own damn home.  
She should cut her hair at some point, it falls way past her breasts now and she decides to put them up in a ponytail, because it’s more practical for eating and because it shows off her pierced ears.

Maybe she should’ve put some more makeup on, conceal her acne scars better, put on some fancier jeans, a less washed out shirt… but it’s fine.  
It’ll be over in a few hours and she’s trying to be more confident about her looks lately.  
To be more confident around people in general.

 

She’s not sure what she expected Jung Hosook to be like. Maybe more mature, more grown up?  
Not with dyed red hair and a sidecut. Tattoos peeking out of the collar of her shirt, the sleeves of her jeans jacket rolled up to her elbows revealing some more ornaments on her arms that Jungha can’t make out unless she stares. Which she’s trying hard not to do.  
But it’s difficult.  
It’s not just in the way she looks. It’s in the way she talks to Taehee and then Jimin, the way her face lights up in surprise and how a huge heart-shaped smile spreads on her lips when she says, “Well, that’s what I call a surprise.”

“Yeah, wow,” Jimin laughs awkwardly. “Hey Ms Jung.”

“I told you to call me Hosook, Jimin,” she chuckles and then looks around the room curiously, when she spots Jungha.  
“Oh, hello, how did I miss you?” she walks right towards her and Jungha smiles. Puts out her hand for Hosook to shake.  
“I’m Jung Hosook.”

“I’m Jungha,” she hopes her hands aren’t too sweaty, but Hosook doesn’t make fun of her, so it’s probably fine.

“She’s our youngest,” Jimin explains and Jungha sends her a glare.

“Nice to meet you,” she nods at her and then turns to the oven. “And who’s responsible for this amazing smell?”

“Also me,” Jungha mumbles.

“So they made you cook?” she clicks her tongue. “Tell me if I have to scold them for you. I grew up with an older sister.”  
Jungha laughs and relaxes in her presence. It’s hard not to when Hosook’s carefree aura fills the whole room and her smile is sunny and kind.

“Actually, if we did the cooking we’d be eating instant noodles tonight,” Taehee admits.

Hosook laughs a ringing laughter.  
“I see,” she chuckles like she gets it. “Well, then I’m really glad, because I already had instant noodles three times this week.”

Jungha tries to suppress a grin and decides to check on the chicken, just so she doesn’t start staring at Hosook again.  
She’s been in their kitchen for barely ten minutes and Jungha already gets why Jimin acted the way she did.  
She really gets it.

Watching them eat makes Jungha fill with pride. The first five minutes are just compliments and praises and dramatic comparisons to famous TV chefs.

Her glance keeps flying over to Hosook and how she manages to navigate eating, chatting and looking like an 80s girlband dream come to life at the same damn time.  
Jungha tries to keep the gawping to a minimum and from the looks of it, Jimin tries the same.  
  
Taehee is the only one who’s not staring and now and then her tone is borderline sassy, especially in contrast to the other two, who overflow with respect and admiration.  
“Jungha’s the one I told you about,” Jimin says at some point and Jungha cocks her head up in shock.

“The friend who helps you practice?” Hosook asks and she’s looking directly at Jungha now, eyeing her up curiously.

“Yeah, she’s amazing,” Jimin nods. “I try to make her pick up dance, but she’s stubborn.”

Jungha curses Jimin and shoots her a look, but Jimin stares back. The same old story again.  
She’s never gonna let it rest. Never gonna let Jungha liver her life the way she wants.  
Jungha takes a huge sip of her wine while she waits for Hosook to speak.

“You like dancing?” she asks with a kind smile an puts her lips to the rim of her wineglass as well.

“It’s fun, yeah, but it’s more of a hobby for me.”

“It’s a hobby for most of us,” Hosook nods. “Doesn’t mean you can’t practice it.”

“It’s cause of the people,” Tae says nonchalantly. The fucking snitch. “She’s not a big fan of group activities.”  
“Why not?”

“It’s awkward when people are watching,” Jungha mumbles. “I prefer doing it on my own… or with Jimin.”

“She’s learning so fast and she’s got so much body control,” Jimin praises. “It’s such a waste.”

Jungha’s face gets hot and she’s looking down at her chicken to avoid eye contact or any more questions.

“Well, you can’t force people into it,” Hosook hums, but something in her voice makes Jungha wary. “But my studio’s open for you. If you wanna come over, check it out, there’s always the possibility. May I ask how old you are?”

“Twenty,” Jungha mumbles.

“The student discount would still apply for you then.” She smiles.

“Thanks, I’ll think about it,” Jungha nods and there’s a satisfied smile on Jimin’s face.  
  
She’s glad when Taehee changes the topic and asks what Hosook’s into other than dance and instant noodles.  
Astrology apparently. Space and stuff. Jungha doesn’t say that she’d love to hear a thing or two about that.  
She’s glad that they’re talking fine without her for a while.

The dance topic doesn’t come up again until later that evening when they’re chatting in the living room, playing silly syllable games Hosook comes up with. Games she hadn’t even thought about since elementary school.

She’s peacefully sipping on a bottle of beer, a comfortable fog wrapped around her brain, when Jimin and Hosook talk about their current choreography.  
It doesn’t take long until they’re stood up and pushed the sofa aside, comparing steps, Hosook correcting Jimin’s posture. Jungha watches Jimin stumble over her words, a soft flush on her face that she’d blame on the booze if she didn’t know better.  
  
“I was thinking about changing that part actually,” Hosook thinks out loud and Taehee sighs, her head resting on Jungha’s shoulder as they watch them.

“Really? Why?”

“Cause the transition is kinda rough,” she does the steps again and Jungha catches herself staring. She really does have nice things. If they already look this nice in jeans, how’d they look in a pair of sports leggings? Maybe even shorts.

“I want it to look smoother.”  
  
“That’s funny, cause Jungha actually said the same thing,” Jimin laughs.

That’s when Jungha tears her gaze away from Hosook’s body and looks at her face instead.  
Tries to look like she knows what they were just talking about.

“Really? Can you join us real quick?” she puts her hands together like she’s begging and looks at Jungha with pleading eyes. “I’ve got an idea, but I need to watch it from the outside.”

Before her brain can stop her, she’s standing up and Taehee dramatically falls into the empty space, cursing after her silently.  
And maybe it’s the booze or maybe the way she kinda wants Hosook to watch her dance, but she’s not terrified anymore.

“Thank you,” Hosook smiles and when she wants to tell them at which part to start, Jimin shakes her head.”

“She knows the whole choreo,” she says. “We can do the whole thing.”

“I’m a bit tipsy,” Jungha admits, but her feet aren’t wobbly yet and she can mostly still see clearly if she concentrates.  
Clearly sees Taehee grimacing when Hosook sits down next to her on the couch.  
Clearly sees Jimin getting rid of her wool jacket and pull her crop top in place, so her belly is in full display, soft and adorable.  
If this was a competition, Jungha would let her hair fall down her shoulders.  
But it’s not. She just opens her hair because it’s more comfortable.  
  
“You don’t have to be precise,” Hosook smiles.  
And then Jimin turns on the music on her phone and it’s louder through the bluetooth speakers, just loud enough to make Jungha’s heart race in her chest, but not loud enough to get any noise complaints.  
Before she knows it, they’re dancing.  
The choreo is all muscle memory at this point, her tipsy brain doesn’t have to think much.

They’ve practiced this so many times, sometimes in their living room, but mostly on the roof of their apartment block where there’s plenty space and nobody watching or complaining about the music.  
Sometimes Taehee’s up there with them, filming them or taking photos.  
Sometimes just sitting on the little bench they put up there last summer, playing games on her phone or watching Jimin with a soft smile when she’s not looking.  
  
Now she and Hosook are watching and Jungha hates how much she’s trying to be good, how often her eyes fly to Hosook’s and how it makes excitement bubble up in her stomach when they meet.

It’s not perfect, with all the furniture they try not to bump into and Jimin by her side, but she doesn’t make any huge mistakes and she’s got control over her body like she usually does.

When they come to an end, the song loops and Jimin turns it off while Jungha pants and pushes her hair back, ignoring the way Tae judges her from the couch. Hosook is clapping and even whistles between her fingers, something Jungha never managed to do.  
  
“I’m a bit dizzy,” Jungha chuckles and lets herself fall into the couch as well, where Taehee makes space between her and Hosook.

“Me too,” Jimin chuckles and plops down on the carpet in front of the couch.

“I hate to be like this, but Jimin was right,” Hosook shakes her head in disbelief. “It would be such a waste if you didn’t pick up dancing. I don’t care if it’s in my studio, but you gotta do something with it.”

“See?” Jimin raises her eyebrows. “Even Ms Jung says so and she really knows what she’s talking about.”  
  
Jungha smiles, fights back the blush that tries to take over her.  
Hosook’s face is so kind and there’s a curious spark in her eyes.

“I’ll think about it,” she says and listens to Jimin’s triumphal laughter mix with Hosook’s soft chuckle.

“You’d be a great contribution to our team.”

 

 

Late at night, when Hosook’s gone back to her own apartment and Jimin went to bed because she “can already feel the headache coming”, Jungha and Taehee sit on the couch together, cuddled together, an old Bob Ross rerun on TV playing in the background.  
  
“You hate her,” Jungha states and Taehee groans next to her, her head leaning heavily on Jungha’s shoulder.

“I don’t hate her,” she says. “I just don’t get the hype. She’s cool, yeah, and hot. But she’s not some ethereal goddess.”

Jungha hums and decides not to go into it.

“So what’s the plan?” she asks. “You can’t just watch Jimin fall deeper and deeper into this mess and then whine about it.”

“What am I supposed to do then?”

“I don’t know, maybe… make a move on her? Do anything to make her realize you like her?”

Taehee groans again and sits up, just to lean sideways into the couch to look at Jungha with tortured eyes.

“How? I’ve never picked up a girl. It’s so easy with dudes. They even pick up hints when I don’t throw them! How am I supposed to make her realize when she thinks flirting is just kinda my pastime?”

“Have you done anything at all that wasn’t purely platonic?”

“Other than kissing her?”

“When you weren’t drunk, Tae,” Jungha sighs. “When you weren’t partying.”  
  
“I told her she’s cute… I always tell her how pretty and lovely and inspiring she is! I even wore that tight black shirt for her, and you know I don’t wear tight things.”

Jungha’s strict expression withers and she resists the urge to coo at her.

“You look great in that shirt,” she says and pats Taehee’s shoulder.

“I know,” she pouts. “But I need Jimin to think so.”  
  
“Step up your game…I’ve seen you wrap guys around your finger in a few minutes, you can do this.”

“Thanks,” Tae nods and her pout turns into a soft smile. Then she’s opening her arms for Jungha and looks at her with those soft dark eyes.  
She lets her pull her into a warm hug and then, when she least expects it, Taehee whispers next to her ear,

“And you heard the annoying dance lady… at least check out that damn studio.”  
  
“Not you too, you traitor,” she hisses and pushes Tae away.

She can’t fucking trust anyone.

-

It’s really just a big coincidence that her shift at the shelter ends around 6pm on Friday and an even bigger coincidence that she’s at Hosook’s dance studio at 6:40pm, twenty minutes before Jimin’s practice ends.  
It’s not the first time she picks her up, but it’s the first time she walks into the building and down the stairs, where she usually sees Jimin coming from.  
  
The further she goes, the louder the dull sound of the music gets and the faster her heart pumps. Everything inside of her wants to turn around and go back to the safe havens of the parking lot, but she sees the door with the little glass window and curiosity gets the best of her.  
  
It’s a tiny bit humiliating when she peeks into it and tries to figure out where, in between of all these moving people, Jimin could be.  
She jumps away from it when Hosook comes to sight, smiling widely while she walks to the door and it’s too late to run away when the door swings open and the loud music hits her like a brick to the face.  
  
“You came!” she exclaims and there’s a few curious faces turning to look at her, but Hosook isn’t having any of it.  
“You guys keep dancing,” she calls out. “Concentration!”

“I can go if I’m distracting-“

“No chance!” Hosook laughs and gently grabs Jungha’s arm, pulls her right into the room. “You can sit on the side or join right in if you want.”

“I’ll… sit on the side, thanks,” she sighs.

Hosook's slightly out of breath and her red hair is in a bun, her sidecut even more prominent than the first time she saw it.  
She’s wearing a tight black tanktop and loose grey sweatpants. Jungha can finally see the whole tattoo on her right arm and it seems to be some kind of sun with ornaments around it. Her golden skin glows in a thin layer of sweat and Jungha tries not to gawp when she walks back to her students with a bouncy step, clapping her hands loudly.

Jimin grins at Jungha when their eyes meet and Jungha gives her a thumbs up.  
Within the first three minutes she understands what Jimin meant by strict.  
It’s not in an unkind way when Hosook corrects them or makes them copy her steps, but it is strict. She makes sure to always follow her criticism up with some praise or encouraging words though and Jungha can tell her students appreciate it.

She recognizes the choreo immediately and something inside of her itches to join them, because from what she’s seeing, she could totally keep up, but her feet won’t move, there’s a blockade in her muscles and she can’t stop feeling so damn comfortable sitting down, drawing no attention to herself whatsoever.  
  
So she spends those twenty minutes looking at Hosook and then looking at Jimin to equal it out. None of them is checking anyway, but it feels wrong not to pay Jimin any attention.

But Hosook is enchanting when she dances. The other people kind of melt to a blurry mass movement when Jungha’s eyes are on her.  
Not only does she control every muscle in her body like it’s the easiest thing on earth, she controls the whole room like that, with a sunny but demanding energy.

Something about Hosook makes Jungha want to do well for her and she’s not even dancing. Just wants a bit of the praise for herself.

To see what it would feel like.


	2. TWO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk what to say I'm having lots of fun writing all of them :') ♥

 

The rest of the week she tries not to think about the dance studio.   
  
On the desk there’s the flyer Hosook gave her after practice on Friday and sometimes there’s Jimin throwing little hints about how well she’d fit into the team and Jungha doesn’t have the heart to tell her that the only reason she’s considering it at all is the dance teacher.  
  
There’s something about Hosook, something that draws her in and makes her curious and makes her want to do well.   
Jimin gets to spend an hour of practice every Friday with Hosook while Jungha’s rotting away in her room most of her free time. More restless and bored than ever, imagines them having fun in the studio.  
  
  
It’s on Wednesday when Jungha stands in the corridor outside of their apartment, digging through her bag, more urgently with every passing minute.  
  
“Fuck,” she curses out loud.   
  
She’s never been the type to lose her stuff easily, usually double checking everything.  
But after ten minutes of hectic searching and some silent cursing she accepts that her key isn’t in her purse and that she’s locked out of her own apartment.   
First she calls Jimin, who doesn’t pick up, so she tries calling Taehee.   
  
Taehee hisses into the phone when she picks up.   
  
“Yes?”  
  
“Where are you right now?”   
  
“At work, I shouldn’t be talking,” she hurries to say.  
  
“I can’t get into the apartment. Can I come get your key?”  
  
“That’ll take you over an hour” Tae says. “I’m leaving in half an hour anyway. Just sit it out.”

“What am I supposed to do?”  
  
“I don’t know, get a coffee or something.” She can practically see Taehee roll her eyes. “You’re a grown woman.”

“Fine. Bye.”  
  
“Yeah, bye.”  


  
  
Jungha doesn’t do the whole sitting in a coffee shop by herself thing. She’s generally glad if she doesn’t have to be in public alone, because she gets all hyperaware of her surroundings and her flesh starts to crawl when strangers look at her.  
  
So she sits down on their doormat and considers calling Jina, who’s got the only other key, but her sister lives too far away and it’d take even longer for her to get there.  
Fucking fine.  
  
So what she does is play stupid mobile games and text back people she’s ignored for weeks, just because she doesn’t have anything better to do.

Not one, but two of their neighbours stop when they see her, and ask if everything’s okay and she has to explain that she’s an idiot both times.   
  
Half an hour into her waiting time, a familiar voice calls out to her from down the hallway.

“Jungha? What are you doing there, sweetheart?”  
  
She doesn’t have time to get embarrassed when Hosook walks towards her with a worried expression on her face.  
  
“Just locked myself out,” she mumbles.

“When are the girls coming back?”  
  
Jungha looks at her phone.  
  
“In an hour if I’m lucky,” she tries to make it sound funny, but it sounds tired.   
Also. She needs to pee and it’s starting to become a problem.  
  
“Wanna come over then?” Hosook says like it’s no big deal, but Jungha looks at her like she’s a saint.  
  
“Isn’t that an inconvenience?”  
  
“No, it’s fine, I just can’t offer you a fancy meal,” she grins and puts out her hand to pull Jungha up.   
“You gotta settle for instant noodles.”  
  


Hosook’s apartment has the same ground plan as theirs, but it couldn’t look more different.   
  
If their age difference wasn’t apparent so far, now Jungha sees it in everything around her.  
A bunch of moving cartons are standing around, but the furniture that’s already there looks more expensive than theirs, and newer.  
  
The chairs around her kitchen table actually match color and the red shiny cupboards on the wall look new and fancy.   
She’s got some flowers and plants in her living room, which wouldn’t survive a single day in the girls’ messy apartment, and she’s got a brand new couch without questionable stains and patches on it.

Maybe Jungha’s standards aren’t high, but Hosook’s neat apartment impresses her.   
Even some nice, artsy paintings decorate the walls, which Taehee would like; though she’d probably deny it because it’s Hosook we’re talking about.  
  
“Make yourself at home,” Hosook calls out after she’s gotten out of her jeans jacket and boots and disappears into the kitchen.   
“I’ll be back with ramen.”  
  
“Can I use your bathroom?” Jungha asks.  
  
“Sure, you saw where it is, right?”  
  
The bathroom is cleaner than theirs has ever been and an abundance of hair products stand on a shelf. She’s got a nice fluffy carpet where the girls usually just put an old towel.   
  
When her bladder’s finally empty and she washes her hands, she looks into the mirror and for some damn reason the beat of her heart is all hectic and fast again.  
They’ve never been alone before. She knows nothing about Hosook and there’s this vibe of maturity hanging around them now.   
What if she says something stupid? Does something childish?   
  
She walks back into the living room and sits down on the couch and barely five minutes later Hosook comes back with two bowls of instant ramen.  
  
“Give them three more minutes,” she says, putting them down on the coffee table. She’s got a proper coffee table! Out of glass!   
How can anyone have their shit together like that?  
  
“Wanna watch TV?”  
  
“Sure,” Jungha nods quickly.

 Hosook flicks through a few channels, settles for some comedy show and leans back into the couch.  
  
“God, they’re so bad,” she groans. “It’s like they’re not even trying.”  
  
At some point comes the inevitable dick joke and Hosook’s head cocks over to Jungha and she tries to keep calm and collected but then Hosook bursts with laughter. Practically coughing up a lung.  
“Fuck, I’m so sorry, I’m just kinda weak to those.”  
  
“Dicks?” Jungha asks and laughs as well, a bit of tension melting off her shoulders.   
  
“Nah, not so much,” Hosook clicks her tongue. “But dick jokes though…”  
  
“Yeah, same,” Jungha says and it shouldn’t feel scary, but it is.   
  
Coming out to strangers is always a bit scary, even if they possibly just came out to you first. It could mean anything really.   
Even if it’s all hints and no specifics.  
But Hosook is casual and down to earth and she looks at the noodles impatiently and says, “Fuck it, I’m too hungry to wait. Let’s just start.”

Maybe Jungha doesn’t have to act that grown up after all.   
They eat and watch shitty comedy TV for a while and when Hosook puts her bowl down, she turns to look at her again.  
  
“How’d you like it on Friday?” she wants to know. “You made a decision yet? No pressure.”  
  
“I’m not sure,” Jungha says. “It looked fun. You’re an amazing teacher…”  
  
“The first five lessons would be free so you can find out if it’s your thing.” She smiles. “If you want to try, just join Jimin next time.”

“I’ll think about it.”  
  
“That’s all I’m asking,” she says. “I must say it’s rare to see someone who’s got that much… natural skill for it… You say you dance on your own?”  
  
“Usually just in my room, yeah,” Jungha’s cheeks get warm and she finds it hard to look Hosook in the eyes, though there’s nothing but warmth and care.  
  
“That’s how I started, too,” she grins. “Just in front of my mirror and watching a thousand dance videos.”  
  
“Really?”  
  
“Really, cutie,” she laughs. “You can overcome me in no time if you keep going.”  
  
Jungha shakes her head, trying to fight off the ridiculous compliment and the blush on her face at the same time. Her ears get warm, too.  It’s a mess.  
  
If Hosook knows how much she messed her up with that little pet name, she doesn’t show it. She goes back to watching TV and Jungha can’t concentrate on anything for the rest of the hour.  
  
The sweet scent of her perfume, a little rougher around the edges than the perfume Jungha buys - it’s dizzying.   
Her thigh is pressed close to Jungha’s and her little warm chuckle rings through the room whenever silly jokes come up on TV.

  
When Taehee finally calls and asks where she is, she tells her she’s sitting in a café down the street for some reason.  
Hosook brings her to the door ten minutes later and smiles.  
  
“Just come over next time.”  
  
“Hopefully I won’t lock myself out too often in the future.”  
  
“I mean, whenever you need something,” Hosook says. “I don’t get visitors too often. It’s that phase were people are afraid they have to help me put together IKEA shelves if they come over.”  
  
“I could help you with them,” Jungha says and has no idea why. It’s weird. They barely know each other.  
  
“It’s fine, cutie,” Hosook laughs. “I’m just joking.  Tell Jimin and Taehee I said hi.”

“Will do.”  
  


She doesn’t tell Jimin or Taehee hi from Hosook. She’s not entirely sure why either. It sounds kind of complicated to do, kind of suspicious.

Instead she tells Jimin that she wants to come with her to the studio on Friday and the girl is hyped.  
Jungha wonders if she’d still be hyped if she knew that it was because of Hosook.   
Like, 90% Hosook, 9% actually wanting to dance and that last little 1% because Jimin and Tae kept bothering her about it.

Usually there’s no need to put effort into her workout clothes, because the only people who ever get to see her in it are Taehee and Jimin, but now she’s trying to look like one of those casually hot dancers. All relaxed and comfortable, but still attractive in a by the way manner.  
  
For a good ten minutes she toys with that tight crop shirt, puts it on and checks herself out in the mirror and it looks fine, but she knows it’ll make her worry and it’ll make her feel too in the spotlight, so she puts it down again.   
Settles for one of her larger, black band shirts.

  


  
Jimin doesn’t stop talking all the way to the studio. Talks about how the others will be surprised that Jungha already knows the choreo and tells her that everyone’s nice, so she doesn’t have to worry.  
  
Her nerves nearly eat her up alive, but when she’s finally warming up with a bunch of other people and everyone’s introducing themselves to her, it’s pleasant.  
Her heart calms down, she only wipes her sweaty palms on her sweatpants every few minutes and she doesn’t stumble over her words too much when she explains that she practices with Jimin sometimes.   
It’s a perfectly reasonable amount of word-stumbling that’s going on.  
  
All the progress is gone and her heart speeds up again when Hosook walks into the room. Her big smile and bouncy step draw all attention to her and Jungha doesn’t understand how her aura can fill the room in a few seconds, but it does and all eyes are on her.  
  
“Hi everyone,” she sing-songs. „First off, we’ve got someone who wants to give it a shot. “  
  
“She already introduced herself,” Jimin calls out and Hosook looks right at Jungha, encouragement in her eyes and claps her hands.

“Well, if that’s the case, let’s jump right in.”  
  
It’s different than dancing with Jimin.   
Jungha doesn’t let herself slump, doesn’t halfass things.   
Everyone’s concentrated on themselves, eyes glued to the huge mirror front, now and then glued to Hosook’s moves when she demonstrates something.  
  
Jungha dances hard, does her best, has never wanted so desperately to do a good job.  
She imagines Hosook’s eyes on her now and then, imagines a proud spark in them and it fuels all the fires inside her, the tendrils licking at her insides, making her fill with restless energy.  
  
Hosook is so different in the studio.   
Her sunny smile is still there, but there’s something demanding in the way she looks at them, her voice and words tinged in authority.  
  
And the way she dances makes it difficult to concentrate on anything else. Her movements are smooth, and the hardest steps look easy and smooth when she does them, as if she’s freeing herself from the rules of gravity with every move she makes. Every bouncy and energetic step.   
It’s entirely impossible not to get drawn in by her.  
  
When a thin layer of sweat covers all their bodies, Jungha’s shirt clinging to her skin disgustingly and the music turned down, the hour is over.  
  
Hosook comes jogging up to where Jungha and Jimin sit on the bench at the back of the studio, panting and sharing a water bottle.  
  
“Today was fun,” Jimin says with a dreamy glimmering in her eyes when she looks at Hosook. Jungha still fails to catch her breath.  
  
“I’m glad you liked it, Jimin,” she puts a hand on Jimin’s shoulder and Jungha tries not to stare. “Did you have fun, too, cutie?”   
  
Jungha feels too hot in her skin. The sweaty, disgusting after-dance-heat, but also the dry heat that’s burning up her face from the inside out.   
  
“Uh, yeah,” she stutters. “I had fun. I still have four trial lessons, right?”  
  
“Right! Just join Jimin whenever you want and we’d be happy to have you.”  
  
They say bye and when they want to turn towards the door, Hosook’s voice holds them back.   
  
“Jungha,” she says and her voice changes a little bit, gets softer and quieter, but Jungha can’t put a finger on it. “Stay for a second.”  
  
Jimin looks at them and turns around and walks to the door when Hosook doesn’t make any attempts to start talking.   
  
 “If you give me your number I can text you all the schedules of the studio. There’s a few different teams in the house. Different age groups and different dance styles. You might wanna check everything out before you decide.”  
  
“Oh, okay,” Jungha says and ignores the bubbly feeling in her body. “Sure. Sounds good.”

  
-

Hosook texts her the schedule that evening when Jungha lies on her bed with her sketchbook, doodling with half a mind, old Sia albums on replay.  
It’s stupid to get so excited, but she can’t help it.   
  
She saves her number under “Jung Hosook” just in case and stares at all the dance groups and schedules as if she’d want to be in any of them.   
Actual Michael Jackson could come back to life and become a teacher in one of them and she’d rather stay in Hosook’s group, but nobody needs to know about that.

It takes her fifteen minutes to figure out if she should write anything back and if so, what.  
She settles for simple and formal, but apparently that’s not Hosook’s style.  
  
J:  Thanks for the schedules. I had lots of fun today. See you next Friday! Jungha.

H:  of course, cutie… did you save my number? J   
  
Jungha’s heart races and she resists the urge to throw her phone across the room like it’s some kind of scary insect. It’s Hosook’s first personal text and Jungha already has no idea what to respond.   
She decides to go with the truth, braces herself to be made fun of or scolded. To be reminded that this is a professional relationship only.  
  
J:  Should I not have?

H:  it’s all good, don’t worry!!  i saved yours too :P see you next friday!

J :  Okay!!   


  
-

 

One of Jungha’s favourite things about their apartment isn’t the apartment itself. It’s the big, flat roof of the apartment complex, from where they have a breathtaking view over the whole neighbourhood.   
It’s prettiest late in the evening, sometimes they catch the sunset on the horizon, reds and yellows oozing down between the houses and trees, making space for the moon to watch over the city for another night.  
  
She’s more excited than usually when they walk up the stairs, Jimin and Taehee a few steps in front of her, giggling over some stupid inside joke she doesn’t know about.  Never has she wanted to practice as much as she does now. To figure out how much she can improve until next Friday.  
  
“D’you think Ms. Jung knows about the roof?” Jimin asks and it’s the first time Jungha actually listens to their conversation.

“I’m not telling her about it,” Tae mumbles. “You either find the roof yourself or you’re not worthy being on the roof.”  
  
They open the door and the late summer air is a little fresh in the evening, makes Jungha’s chest warm and content when she walks out there and the sun’s already down.  
  
“When you speak of the devil,” Taehee groans.  
  
They close the door and Jimin props their Bluetooth speaker up on the floor, while Jungha stares at the little bench that they put up there a year ago, Hosook’s head cocked around to look at them in surprise.

“Oh, hey girls,” she calls out in amusement and Jimin and Jungha greet her back while Taehee pretends to be busy with the music.   
  
Hosook’s not alone though. Another woman next to her looks at them with a thin, curious smile, waiting for Hosook to explain who these children are.  
  
“They’re my neighbours,” she smiles. “And apparently they’re everywhere.”

“This roof is for everyone in the house,” Taehee mumbles more to herself than anyone else and Hosook pretends not to hear it.  
  
“Are we interrupting something here?” Jimin asks. A shiver runs down Jungha’s spine at the tone in her voice. A tad bitter, a tad nosy, a big amount childish.   
Way too relatable as well.  
  
“I was showing Yoonji some constellations,” she says with a fond look directed at the woman next to her, points to the impressive telescope next to the little bench, a small booklet laying on the wood, titled _Stars and what they tell us_.  
“But of course the stars are there for everyone, hm?”  
  
That’s when Jungha properly looks at Yoonji for the first time. She’s smaller than her, has a slimmer figure and paler skin.   
She’s drowning in a sweater that’s probably not hers, by the size of it maybe Hosook’s, but Jungha refuses to dwell on it.   
  
Bleached blonde, shoulder long hair is tucked behind one ear, showing off a row of piercings, and her bangs are short and wild, another piercing on her eyebrow peaking through.   
Her round face and soft features make her look younger than she probably is, but dark eye makeup turns her gaze a tiny bit intimidating.  
  
When they walk over to them, Hosook has her arm around her shoulder and Yoonji smiles a gummy smile at them.   
  
“What are you guys doing up here?” she wants to know, looking at the speakers. “Throwing a party?”   
  
“They’re practicing my choreo,” Hosook beams at her and points at Jimin and Jungha. “These two are my students.”  
  
“Oh, really?” Yoonji says and damn it, it’s friendly and curious, anything but unkind. “Mind if we watch?”  
  
“Not at all,” Jimin says louder than necessary, more competitive than confident.   
  
For once she and Jungha are in the same team, trying to impress Hosook together rather than overshadowing each other.  
  
Jungha ignores the heavy weight in her chest when she sees Hosook whispering something to Yoonji out of the corner of her eye.   
They look good together, too damn good; like a hot indie couple on some lgbtq magazine cover.  
And Jungha’s got no right to feel so damn weird about it.   
  
It’s just that, for some reason, the thought never crossed her mind, that Hosook might have a special someone already.   
That there are people her own age she hangs out with.   
Jungha nearly laughs at herself for thinking someone like Hosook might be interested in her, that maybe she didn’t only save her number for dance related matters.  
  
It’s so pathetic and transparent when she puts double her effort into the choreo, dances harder than she has in the studio. Dances harder than she ever has on her own.   
She hopes they can’t read the big sign above her head that says “Look at me Hosook”, the determination in her eyes, the glances she throws at Hosook that are borderline seductive.

 

 

  
Taehee probably judges them both and Jimin is too lost in her own little showcase to put one and one together, so when they’re done, they high five and laugh a little, as if they’re not both waiting for some feedback.  
Both Yoonji and Hosook clap and smile at them like proud moms who just watched their kids in a school competition.   
  
“You taught them that?” Yoonji says and Hosook shakes her head.

“Nah, they’re just really good,” she shrugs her shoulders. “And they work so hard! Jungha here has only been in my studio once.”  
  
“Not bad,” Yoonji smiles. “Once you guys made it big, invite us to your shows, yeah?”  
  
Jimin laughs a fake laugh and nods. “Of course.”  
  
“So,” Taehee speaks up for the first time where she’s been squatting on the floor next to the speakers, watching the whole drama unfold from the outside. “How about we give the grownups some privacy on their date and start practicing?”  
  
Jimin shoots her a glare and Jungha tries not to pull a face, but they agree, because what can they do, really?  
  
  
So Hosook and Yoonji walk back to their little bench date and the girls move a little farther away on the big roof.  
A big ugly lump fills Jungha’s throat every time she sees Yoonji leaning in to breathe little butterfly kisses to Hosook’s neck.   
Hosook’s protective arm around her shoulder, pulling her into her side.  
  
“You guys are the worst,” Taehee groans and their heads jerk around, both caught throwing death glares at Yoonji’s back again, and Tae looks at Jungha in disappointment and stresses, “Both of you.”  
  
The shame is there, it definitely is, and Jungha’s not trying to deny anything, but she can’t stop wondering what it would be like to sit there with Hosook, to have her arm around her shoulder.   
  
When they start practicing again, it’s so much less powerful now that Hosook isn’t watching and she feels Jimin’s eyes on her, because thanks to Tae, Jimin finally, finally has gotten the memo too.   
About Jungha’s little stupid crush on Hosook.   
  
And Jimin’s bad at pretending she doesn’t mind. There’s an edge to every word she directs toward Jungha, a coldness in her eyes whenever she looks at her and whenever she missteps while dancing, Jimin groans.  
  
They barely talk and it only takes half an hour until Hosook and Yoonji take the telescope and wave them goodbye from the other side of the roof.   
  
Probably going down into Hosook’s clean, tidy grownup apartment to do whatever lovers do.  



	3. THREE

  
The second dance session goes similar to the first one.  
Hosook is all bright smiles and loud voice, her gaze imperious when she watches the group do the choreo without her.  
Jungha would never practice this hard on her own. They’re barely ten minutes in and she’s already swimming in her own sweat, the hair of her ponytail sticking to her neck like seaweed. But it’s worth it, every time Hosook walks back to the third row where she and Jimin are dancing, and she’s looking at their every movement.  
  
“Jimin, details!” she says and Jungha stares straight at the mirror when Hosook walks around her and watches her feet move.  
“Not bad, Jungha,” she smiles. “Your movements are sharp, I like that.”  
  
Just when she says it, they get to the part in the choreo that she can never remember and she’s prancing around for a bit, until she copies what everyone else is doing and tries to get back into it.  
Hosook’s laughter rings in her ears and she feels the heat stream into her face.  
Keeps staring at the mirror.  
“Nice safe,” Hosook chuckles, before she jogs back to the front.  
  
Jimin stretches her neck and gives Jungha a look that she can’t decipher, but then she adds an annoyed sigh in perfect Jimin fashion and she knows what’s up.  
  
“Looks like she’s got a favourite, huh?” she says and it’s supposed to sound amused, but there’s a tinge to it that makes Jungha pull up her defences.  
  
“She’s just trying to be nice, so I join the team,” she shrugs her shoulders, hoping it’s not true.  
  
“Maybe,” Jimin says. “Or maybe she’s got a thing for younger girls.”  
  
Jungha glares at her because two of the other dancers turn their heads towards them and Hosook is barely ten feet away.  
  
“Well, Yoonji seemed quite mature,” she argues.  
  
“Okay true,” Jimin makes her way to her bag to pull a bottle of water out of it. She presses it in Jungha’s hand first. “Whatever. It’s not like she’s gonna go out with either of us anyway.”

Jungha drinks half of the bottle, absentminded, because there’s something weird and icky in the air between them since Jimin put one and one together. Since she figured out she’s not the only one with a little crush.  
  
And getting into these stupid little rivalries is a bad habit of Jungha and her.  
Like the time they both got into drawing and Jimin would compare sketchbooks all the time, sulking when Jungha’s sketches looked more natural, more professional.  
Or the time Jungha didn’t speak to Jimin for an entire day because she’s got a better grade in the biology exam that she helped her study for.  
  
It’s never serious and they’re so aware of it that sometimes it becomes nearly comedic.  
But she knows the calculating way Jimin looks between her and Hosook now and Jungha kinda figured they’d left that rivalry shit back in high school where it belonged.  
She’s not so sure about it now.

 

 

That night, when she’s about to fall asleep after watching a movie with Tae and Jimin, she gets a text from Hosook and is wide awake again.  
She sits up in her bed, switches on the lamp on her nightstand and bunches up the blanket in her lap.  
Her heart is already racing before she opens the message.  
  
H: did you have fun in practice today?  
H: just need to make sure I’m doing everything in my power to get you to join us :P  
  
J: is that why you complimented me today?  
J: to persuade me to join????

H: no!! I meant it  
H: your style is nice to watch  
H: and you’re energetic  
  
J: thanks <3  
J: I had lots of fun today

 

Jungha sends the heart and immediately wants to take it back.  Wants to push through the screen of her phone and pull it out of her message, but it’s too late and Hosook is already typing.  
  
She’s making a fool out of herself.  
Hosook isn’t some teenager that she can fluster with a heart emoji.  
Fallen back into her pillow, she holds her phone up above her face and stares at the little dots, as if that will make the message appear quicker.  
When it does, she nearly drops her phone to her face. She leans up on her elbow to stare at it instead and there’s tingles in her stomach when she reads.  
  
H: Then go to sleep now, love.  
H: it’s late and you worked hard today <3

She clenches her teeth so she doesn’t accidentally let the screech out that’s stuck in her throat. If she didn’t know better she’d say Hosook is flirting back, but maybe she’s just being nice and caring like she is with everyone.  
Making sure to take care of the younger girls around her and all that pure, organic shit.  
It doesn’t matter though because Jungha stares at the heart and the word love with a big smile on her face.  
  
She texts back a short ‘you too J’ and it’s only when she cuddles back under her blanket and presses her phone to her chest like some lovesick fool, that her smile wilts.  
  
Jungha’s already in this too deep and what could possibly be ahead other than heartbreak and humiliation.

 

-

On a Saturday morning, when all the girls still sleep like the dead, Jungha wakes up by the clinking of plates and some quiet chatter. Neither Jimin nor Taehee would ever be awake and active at this time of day. It’s not their voices either.  
  
She squints over to her tripod and wonders if she can use it as a weapon, before she decides to go and check what the noise is all about.  
They don’t exactly sound dangerous. She takes her phone with her though, just in case.  
  
She makes her way to the kitchen and peeks inside and there’s her sister Jina, at the stove, making use of  a spatula and humming a gentle melody.  
  
“What the actual fuck?” Jungha greets her, taking a few steps into the kitchen like she’s approaching a wild animal.  
  
“Jungha, sweetie, you’re up already?” Jina turns around and smiles a bright smile at her. “It was supposed to be a surprise.”  
  
She walks over and her sister pulls her into a bone-crushingly tight hug, smelling like strawberry and sugar.  
  
“You sure did surprise me,” she gets out with her face still pressed into Jina’s shoulder. “I was about to knock you flat out with my tripod.”  
  
Jina’s laughter is loud and squeaky, turning around to her work again and Jungha peeks over her shoulder and smells more than she sees pancakes in the making.  
  
“I figured you girls would want a proper breakfast once in a while,” she grins. “And we haven’t been here in ages.”  
  
“We? Is Namjoo here, too?”  
  
Like on cue a deep, smiling voice makes Jungha turn around.  
  
“I couldn’t let her go alone now, could I?” Namjoo smiles a dimply smile down to her. “Someone’s gotta make sure she’s not bothering you too much, hm?”  
  
“Namjoo!” Jungha chirps and practically jumps into her arms, but Namjoo stands tall like a tree, completely unfazed and pulls her into a warm hug.  
  
“Is it just me or are you always more enthusiastic to see my fiancee than me?”  
  
“Of course I am,” Jungha nods. “Namjoo’s like my favourite person on earth and you’re… you.”  
  
Namjoo giggles and ruffles through Jungha’s messy sleep-hair, but Jina huffs.  
  
“I’m driving an hour to get here and make pancakes for my little sister and that’s how she thanks me.” She swallows and wipes a fake tear off her cheek. “I see how it is.”

It doesn’t take long for Taehee and Jimin to pile into the room, similarly suspicious to Jungha earlier, but when they see Namjoo, their expression changes into pure glee.  
  
“I don’t think this will be enough for all of us,” Jina says after a few moments. “We should’ve bought more eggs.”  
  
“I can go grab some,” Namjoo suggests, but Jina shakes her head.

“It’ll take too long,” she says. “Jungha, can you go ask a neighbour for two or three eggs. That should be enough.”  
  
“Ask a neighbour?” she pulls a face. “That’s so old fashioned. And I look like hell.”

“Just go to Hosook’s,” Tae says. “At least you know her.”  
  
Jungha thinks about it, and honestly, she wouldn’t mind seeing Hosook. Maybe catch her in her pajamas and bed hair, smiling a groggy, half asleep smile.  
 That wouldn’t be the worst thing. And she’d never have the guts to go there out of the blue, but now that she’s got a reason…  
  
“You can invite her over if she’s a friend,” Jina smiles and somewhere out of the corner of her eye she sees Taehee roll her eyes and Jimin staring her down.  
  
With her hair tucked into a messy bun and a black cardigan over her sleep clothes, she makes her way down the hall to Hosook’s apartment. It’s half past eleven, so hopefully she’s up.  
  
Standing there, calming her rebelling heart, her finger hovers over the bell.  
She rings and nothing happens.  
So she rings again.  
  
It takes a moment, but soon enough there’s hectic footsteps coming closer and Jungha quickly drags her fingers through her fringe to look more presentable.  
  
The smile she’s prepared falls from her face when she looks at Yoonji in nothing but an oversized sweater and fluffy socks.  
Her hair wet and swiped back.  
  
“Oh… hey,” Jungha stammers. “You’re…Yoonji…”  
  
“You’re the girl from the rooftop, aren’t you?” Yoonji smiles a little. “Do you need anything?”  
  
“Uh, yeah, I was about to ask Hosook if she can lend us some eggs… we’re making pancakes and don’t have enough…”  
  
“Lend them? Are you gonna give them back?” Yoonji’s face is serious and Jungha swallows.  
  
“Uhm, I don’t know, I mean, we can buy her new ones or I could just-“  
  
“I’m just joking, cutie,” Yoonji smiles. “I’ll go see if she’s got any left.”  
  
While Yoonji’s gone, Jungha tries to calm her nerves and not to listen to the pattering noise of the shower, echoing through the apartment. Tries not to imagine Hosook in there and even less Yoonji in there with her.  
But her stupid brain is filled with images of Yoonji’s wet hair and the sweater that’s too big to be hers.  
  
“There you go,” Yoonji says when she’s back, holding out a whole carton of eggs for her. “I’ll tell her hi from you.”  
  
“Yeah, thank you,” Jungha nods too friendly. “Tell her I’ll make it up to her.”  
  
Yoonji looks at her for too long and then tucks a strand of wet hair back behind her ear.  
  
“Sure thing.”

 

  
Jungha really wants to enjoy the breakfast, because Jina’s pancakes taste like happiness made into food, not too sweet but sweet enough.  
Everyone’s relaxed, minus Jimin who’s looking at Jungha over and over again, as if she’s trying to read her mind.  
  
Namjoo tells some funny story about the lgbtq centre of the university she works at and everyone’s laughing, but Jungha barely listens.  
Then some not so funny stories about the students that come to her and then a story that makes her voice come out all pressed and her facial muscles tensed.  
  
“And I get that she’s my boss and all, but it’s ridiculous,” she pokes around in her pancakes. “She’s trying to lecture me about trans activism, when I’m the only actual trans person in the whole centre.”  
  
“I’d get so mad,” Taehee says. “Tell me if you need backup there and I’m gonna whoop her ass.”  
  
That kind of breaks the tension as most things Taehee says do. And soon enough Namjoo’s smiling again, a gentle, loving thing and she’s pouring more orange juice into Jina’s glass.

“You’re a sweetheart, Tae,” she hums. “You guys are always welcome to join one or two of our projects if you’ve got some free time.”  
  
A bit of the orange juice spills past the glass and down the carton and Jina takes it out of Namjoo’s hand like it’s a routine. She gets a sponge and cleans the mess and Jungha watches the whole thing with warmth in her chest.

  
After they’re done eating and Jimin and Tae are showering or dressing, Jungha sits with Jina on the couch. The TV’s on and Namjoo is tapping away at her ipad, writing some work related e-mails.  
  
“Did something happen over there?” she wants to know. “You were glowing but since you went to get the eggs you look all bummed out.”

Jungha knows she can talk to Jina, and to Namjoo, too. They’re not that much older than her, but they’ve got their lives figured out and Jina’s always been more mature than Jungha, more independent.  
  
“It’s stupid,” she says instead and plays with a loose thread of her cardigan. “Hosook is our dance teacher and… it’s difficult.”  
  
When Jina’s about to probe into it, Tae walks into the room and flops down on the couch. She claims the remote and starts flicks through the channels lazily.  
  
“She’s got the hots for her,” she informs Jina. “And so does Jimin.”  
  
“Awww,” Namjoo coos, looking up from her tablet with soft eyes. “Love-drama, huh?”  
  
“Not love…,” Jungha tries, but her voice is tiny and her cheeks feel hot and she wants to become one with the couch cushions.  
  
“Right.  It’s more of a lust drama,” Tae nods. “Did I mention that she’s 29?”

“Really?” Jina shrieks. “That’s older than me!”  
  
“Only by two years,” Jungha mumbles, but she knows it’s not very convincing.

“Oh Jungha, don’t make yourself unhappy,” she sighs. “She’s not gonna go for a 20 year old.”

“You wanted to know about it! I didn’t ask for advice.”  
  
Now she sounds like a kid talking back to her mom. Jina has that effect on her. The way she talks like she’s so grown up and sorted out drives her crazy sometimes.  
  
“Okay,” Jina nods. “So why were you all grumpy?”  
  
Jungha takes a deep breath and when she meets Tae’s gossipy eyes with a glare, Tae quickly turns her head towards the TV again.  
  
“Her girlfriend was over,” she says. „But it’s fine, okay? I’ll go take a shower.”

And she only feels a little bit bad for walking out of the room like that, running into Jimin in the hallway, whose eyes are more sympathetic now than they are combative.  
Why make a big stupid rival thing out of it when Hosook’s with Yoonji anyway?

-  
  
  
Things don’t change much from there on.  
  
She’s doing her third and fourth free dance session and Jimin doesn’t send her death stares any longer. They manage to have fun while dancing next to each other and sometimes Jimin pinches her side to tease her when Hosook praises her dancing, making her blush like an idiot.  
She does the same to Jimin. They’re in this together. Kind of.

Hosook and her keep texting about stupid stuff and she gives her half an astrology lession one night, writing whole paragraphs about different constellations and scientific findings.  
Jungha can’t really keep up, but it’s cute how excited Hosook gets and her stomach still gets tingly when she calls her sweet names or simply tells her to sleep well.  
  
It’s late in the night again and they should probably both be sleeping, but Jungha would much rather stay awake to text Hosook than get her 7 hours of sleep.  
She asked her about astrology again, just for the sake of reading her excited messages.  
  
H: we should go up on the roof some time  
H: it’s easier to explain when I can show you the real thing

  
Jungha probably wouldn’t survive that. Her stupid heart would beat so fast it would most possibly explode and catapult her right into the milky way.  
Maybe she’s too tired to keep her silly feelings in check, maybe she lost her filter somewhere between the big bang and dead stars, but she sends her next message without thinking about it.  
  
J: wouldn’t Yoonji be mad if you took me to the roof?

Typing.  
Three little dots and finally Jungha’s heart catches up with her tired brain and she has too much time to really freak out, because Hosook doesn’t answer for minutes.  
She fucked up. She crossed a line that they kept sacred for so many weeks now.  
Then Hosook finally answers.  
  
H: yeah no  
H: she’s not really into that whole stargazing stuff  
H: she pretends to care but it’s obvious

Now, Jungha wants to push a little further. If this didn’t cross a line yet, she wants to find out what would.  
She’s always been stupid and curious like that, usually only held back by anxiety. Not now though.  
  
J: well I think it’s impressive how much you know about it  
J: even if I can’t comprehend half of it  
J: it’s nice listening to you

The night is dark but the light of the lanterns in front of their apartment casts soft shadows on her blanket and furniture. She wonders how close to full moon they are right now.  
It takes Hosook too long to reply again and Jungha’s heart doesn’t calm down for a single second. She wipes her sweaty palms on her covers and stares at her phone.  
  
H: hey  
H:  this is probably a stupid idea and it’s 100% okay if you say no  
H: but we could go to the roof right now if you wanted to  
H: the sky is super clear tonight

Jungha swallows and reads the text five more times before she understands, really understands, what Hosook is asking.  
She jumps up from her bed before replying and takes a look in the mirror. She looks tired and overly excited at the same time. She’s never been up there in the night, not this late. Not with Hosook.  
  
J: meet me at the roof door in 10??

H: okay!

 

There’s adrenaline rushing through her veins when she takes her keys and throws on a wool jacket and some sweatpants and puts her hair in a messy bun.  
Sneaking through the dorm on tiptoes, she’s doing her best not to make any noise on the creaking floorboards and she doesn’t bother turning on any lights.  
  
It feels like she’s committing a crime. Like the world has stopped spinning and she’s the only person still moving, but as soon as she closes the apartment door behind her, she has to suppress the excited laughter bubbling up inside her.

She hurries through the dark floors and up the stairs to the roof and it’s crazy, the whole thing.

There’s nobody there and an evil part of her brain tells her that she’s been pranked.  
That Hosook would never meet up with her in the middle of the night and lose sleep just because she wants to.

But then there’s footsteps in the distance and she holds her breath, wonders briefly if this is how she dies, murdered by some stranger in a dark hallway, but when Hosook comes jogging up the stairs, Jungha can’t hold back her grin any longer.  
  
“What the hell are we doing?” Hosook laughs and walks past Jungha to twist her key into the lock.  
  
She’s in grey sweatpants and a padded jacket over her hoodie and it’s horrific how good she looks with her orange hair ruffled up from her pillow. Jungha stares at her freshly trimmed sidecut and wonders what it would feel like to graze her fingertips over it.  
  
The cold night air hits her like a brick to the face and she pulls her jacket closer around herself.  
  
“I didn’t bring my telescope,” Hosook says. “We shouldn’t stay long. I don’t want you to catch a cold.”  
  
“I’m okay,” Jungha mumbles, but her teeth are clattering and her shoulders are pulled up to her ears.  
  
They walk over to the hadnrail and Jungha has never really seen the city in the night.  
In the evening, yeah, on a Saturday, maybe.  
But not like this on a normal Thursday around 3am. It’s quiet and peaceful and the few lights that are sprinkled throughout the city look magical.  
  
She’s never seen so little movement in her neighbourhood and can’t stop staring.  
Hosook on the other hand is already looking up at the sky and when Jungha does the same, she finds a clear sky with stars scattered all over it, as many as a big city has to offer at least.  
  
“It’s beautiful,” she says around a wave of emotion in her chest. “This really puts things into perspective.”  
  
“Yeah?” Hosook smiles. “Like what?”

“Just everything… our whole existence I guess.”  
  
It sounds stupid out loud and she nearly expects Hosook to laugh, but she hums, nods her head.  
  
“You’re right. It’s a good thing to look at the sky now and then,” She sighs. “Makes my worries look irrelevant and tiny.”  
  
“What is it you worry about?” Jungha dares to ask and Hosook laughs, a soft, pretty sound.  
  
“I don’t even remember,” she chuckles. “The sky wiped my brain empty. It always does.”  
  
They spend a few minutes looking for different constellations and Hosook points some out for Jungha and she nearly forgets about the cold air or the fact that she should be sleeping right now.  
Hosook’s presence is calming and healing.  
Before Jungha can stop her, Hosook takes off her padded jacket and hangs it over Jungha’s shoulders.  
  
“I’m fine,” she tries to say, but her breath hitches from the cold and Hosook looks at her with a doubtful  expression.  
  
“Don’t try lying to me,” she chides. “Your nose is all red.”  
  
So Jungha slips into the jacket and it’s instantly so much warmer, she can’t argue against it.  
  
“Did you make a decision yet?” Hosook asks, leaning her arms against the handrail and prepping her head on her arms. “About dance practice?”  
  
“You’re not doing all this to convince me, are you?”  
  
Hosook huffs.  
  
“Can’t I just be friendly now and then?”

“Not on a roof in the middle of the night,” Jungha says carefully. “When you’ve got a girlfriend.”

Now Hosook looks at her curiously and Jungha fears she went too far, but then again, she still isn’t sure if there is something like ‘too far’ in Hosook’s world.  
She wants to remind Hosook of her responsibilities, because she’s not sure she’ll be strong enough to withstand the tension in the air if Hosook chooses to cross some lines.  
  
“Yeah,” she smiles. “Maybe I’m not just being friendly…Maybe I’m being stupid too, hm?”  
  
She watches Jungha’s reaction and then turns away, her eyes back to watching the city, still smiling.  
  
“Yoonji’s not my girlfriend,” she says. “We’ve never been exclusive or anything and she’s also got someone new as far as I’m informed.”  
  
Jungha swallows and there’s nothing she could say without making a fool out of herself, so she nods awkwardly.  
Hosook’s words make the tension in the air a lot harder to ignore.  
  
She leans next to Hosook on the railing and her heart tries to jump out of her chest and right into Hosook’s, but she forces it to stay a little longer.  
  
“Hosook,” she hears herself say and Hosook stands up straight to look at Jungha with careful eyes.  
  
Jungha doesn’t trust her own words, so she keeps her mouth shut. Reaches out to touch Hosook’s wrist instead and tugs her closer.  
 Hosook smiles a hesitant smile and reaches up to tuck a wild strand of hair out of Jungha’s face and it sends tingles through her whole body.  
Then her fingers are under Jungha’s chin and she tilts her head up, makes her look into her eyes.  
  
“What the hell are we doing,” she whispers more to herself than anyone else, before her lips are on Jungha’s, a little cold, but careful and soft.  
She lets Hosook lead her, melts into the gentle movements of her lips and it’s a little push and pull, intoxicating and exciting.  
  
With Hosook’s hands on her hips, holding her in a steady grip, her heart flutters when they deepen the kiss.  
A rush of arousal shoots through her when the tip of Hosook’s tongue slides against hers and they move slowly, testing out how it feels, how it works between the two of them.  
Jungha decides it works beautifully. She lingers with closed eyes for a second when Hosook pulls away, barely, just enough to look at Jungha.  
  
“I swear I didn’t plan this,” Hosook breathes out with a thin, overwhelmed smile. “I didn’t calculate this.”  
  
“Even if you did…I wouldn’t mind.”

And Jungha’s a bit more confident when she leans in again, her hands somewhere on Hosook’s sides, sliding into the warm pockets of her hoodie when they kiss again.  
The warmth in her body is a great contrast to the cold air around them, but it’s grounding and Jungha would probably have started floating otherwise.  
  
Grounding is the way Hosook’s hand lays in her neck and holds her, grounding is Hosook’s jacket over Jungha’s shoulders and grounding is the gentle buzz of the night, a few forlorn cars driving through dark, empty streets, a few sleepless birds here and there.  
They kiss until their feet get too cold and then they say their quiet good nights in the hallway.  
  
Jungha doesn’t sleep all night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly this is so self indulgent but whatever.... don't we all dream of a found family and a hot older girl to take care of us??? just me??? 
> 
> I'd say there's two more chapters to go now... bare with me ♥  
> 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a bit nervous about posting this one tbh, but I hope you liked it a little bit!  
> Thank you for reading, m'loves, and consider leaving a comment (critique is very welcome), because feedback keeps me motivated!! ♥


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